What Could Have Happened
by Real Holden
Summary: These are all things that could have happened between Max and Fang. First Fanfic! Fax, if you hadn't already guessed that. Enjoy!
1. The Dock

It was a total disaster.

I pulled back- gasping. "I..uh…" I began oh so coherently, but then I jumped up, almost knocking Fang over.  
I was running to the other side of the dock to take off when someone-Fang- grabbed my ankle, causing me to fall on my stomach on the dock.

Fang jumped onto me, pinning me down. He held my arms down with his hands and was sitting on top of me.

"STOP. RUNNING. AWAY. FROM. ME", he yelled at me. Oh, great, he was mad.

I could've wrestled Fang off of me, but what good would that do? I didn't want to get in a fight with Fang, I just wanted this all to end.

"JUST TALK TO ME!!!"

My eyes were starting to water. He couldn't honestly expect me to tell him how I felt about him. I, Maximum Ride, didn't even know _that. _

"Oh you have got to be kidding me, Max", he said. I could tell he was exasperated. "Why are you crying?"

I guess I had no choice but to tell him what was going on inside my head. So I kneed him off of me. I needed to have room in case I decided to run again. It was obvious he was about to hold me down again. He wouldn't rest until he got his answers.

"WAIT." I held up my hands in surrender. "Okay. Okay. I'm staying. No need to get physical, here. I'll stay."

"Good", he said.

"Look, I don't know what you want me to say." I was being tortured here!!!

"Tell me why."

"Why?"

"WHY? Why were you jealous of Lissa? Why was I jealous of Sam? Why did you kiss me on the beach? _Why?_"

I was silent. I had nothing to say. Oh, who was I kidding? I had plenty of things to say.

"How am I supposed to answer that? I am a teenage girl. An Avian hybrid teenage girl who is severely confused at the moment."

"Why are you confused?"

"I don't know how I feel, Fang! One day I have a wonderful flock who I love and the next I am kissing one of those wonderful flock members on a beach. And not just _any_ flock member! _My best friend. _I have no idea why I did it. But then I start to feel other things for my best friend. I have never been in this kind of situation! Battling erasers is easier. And it's not like you feel the same about me or anything…"

"What would those feelings be towards me?"

I sighed and buried my head in my knees. "I think I might….love….you…."

Fang was silent. I was silent. I was going to hurl.

I quickly added "I know you don't…..love me…. back or anything. That's alright. I will deal with it, just like everything else. Now I am going to walk, not run, away. Just a heads up. This night never happened. I get it." I started to walk away when something caught my wrist. Fang. Again.

"Max… I… love you….too." he said.

"Please, Fang." I said softly. "Don't lie. It's okay. No biggie." My voice broke on biggie.

He pulled me down to sit crisscross in front of him.

"Max. Do you want to know what I want from _you?"_

"To leave?"

"NO", he all but shouted. "Definitely not" he said softer. We were silent, again, for a long moment.

"Why did you run from me in the cave?" he asked.

"I was…scared. Confused. Frightened. Shocked. What did you expect me to do?"

"So it wasn't because you don't like me?"

I laughed shakily. "Nope."

"How do you feel about me, Fang? Honestly, no lies."

"…..I love you….more than a sister…more than a friend. We should've come to our senses a long time ago. It would've saves us all this awkwardness."

"What is supposed to happen now, Fang?"

"I guess we will see….together?"

"Okay. Well I'm kind of tired." I got up to do an up and away. I looked down at Fang, who looked confused… and hurt?

"Hey" I said, holding my arms out for a hug.

He got up and hesitantly walked close up to me and wrapped his arms around me. It felt nice. I looked up into his eyes. He looked happy. We both leaned into each other and kissed. I wanted to. He wanted to. Nothing seemed confusing anymore. He wrapped his arms around my waste and kissed me deeper. My hands were on his chest. Then he pulled away and said:

"I love you."

"For real?"

"Yes!"

"Then I love you…too?...UGH! This is so strange."

"Yeah I guess so. But it can only get better. I'm sure we were meant to be together all this time."

"What happened to you? You are always so unemotional."

"Oh, don't worry. Once we get back to that hotel, I will go back into "dark" mode."

"Great." Then I pulled away and said, "Shall we?"

"Let's go."

We ran off into the night and flew back to the hotel together. When we reached our separate hotel rooms, we stared at each other for a moment. He had a strange look on his face.

"What's wro-", I started just as he kissed me.

When we broke apart, I said, "None of 'this' in front of the kids."

He simply nodded and gave me a quick kiss. "Took us long enough", he whispered to me before walking away.

I smiled to myself and walked back into my room thinking: 'This might actually work.'


	2. The Cave

After Fang watched Max fly off into the night, he lay down and started thinking about her.

His fist was still throbbing from when he hit it.

Eventually, he fell asleep.

Max POV

I knew I shouldn't have flown away from Fang. It was childish and stupid. Well, that and I didn't want to be alone that night. So I headed back to the cave where I left him. I was glad the fire was slightly glowing because there was no way I would have been able to find my way back to the cave without it.

I found Fang lying on his side by the fire. I could tell he was asleep by his deep breathing. I walked around him to lay down a few feet away when something caught my eye. His left hand looked a swollen. I bent down and studied it. He must have hit it on the ground or wall or something.

" Fang, you're so stupid", I whispered.

I walked over to his backpack and pulled out some gauze and peroxide. Gently, I picked up his hand and cleaned it up carefully. He winced in his sleep and stirred a little, but didn't wake up. He must have been seriously exhausted.

Thank God. If he woke up I probably would have ran again. I know, I know. What a chicken.

I was pretty tired myself so, after I took care of his hand, I held onto it, lay down next to him and fell asleep.

3rd Person POV

Fang woke up to the sun shining on his face, but he didn't open his eyes.

He wasn't ready to face the day…or Max.

But, at that moment, Fang heard something else- a familiar breathing really close to him. And then he felt something in his left, swollen hand.

Fang's eyes darted open and there, about a foot away, was Max holding his hand. His bandaged hand.

Wow.

Max POV

I woke up feeling really tired, like I didn't get enough sleep. Which I didn't.

Someone cleared their throat soft enough that I barely heard it.

My eyes flew open and there was Fang, staring at me with his dark, unreadable eyes. His face was unemotional.

Well, two can play at that game.

"Hi", I said without changing my expression. Then I saw him quickly glance down toward his hand.

"Oh", I said. Oops. I forgot about holding his hand. I pulled my hand away.

My face turned from expressionless to confused, shocked and sheepish in those short seconds.

Well, I lost.

"Thanks for taking care of it", he said, almost embarrassed.

"It's what I do", I said, getting into sitting position and wrapping my arms around my legs.

"Um. I'm sorry about last night", he said.

He _should_ be sorry. Wait. _Why_ should he be sorry?

Instead of asking him this question, I just shook my head and rolled my eyes. This was a '_you_ have nothing to apologize for' look. I shouldn't have run off like that. His feelings were probably hurt. Psh, Fang? Feelings? Those sound funny together.

"How's your hand?" I asked. I was mostly trying to change the subject, but his hand _was_ pretty bad and I _was_ a mother figure.

He shrugged. Oh, thanks so much Fang! Now I know _exactly_ how damaged your hand is! You picking up my sarcasm? 'Cause I'm laying it down pretty thick.

Listen to me! I am so good at covering up my emotions with sarcasm and subject- changing. Oh, yeah.

"The flock must be waiting", he said, looking in the opposite direction of me.

"Alrighty, then. Let's head out." We both stood up.

"Right behind you."

"Oh, and Fang?" I asked him.

I didn't have a clue what was going on inside my head, but at that moment I kissed him. He dropped his backpack and wrapped his arms around me.

Then, too quickly, I pulled away.

He tightened his hold on me, but then let go. He was probably giving me the chance to run again if I wanted to. But I didn't want to run. I'm not sure what I wanted.

You know what? I think I loved Fang. Wow, that was out of the blue, but I think it actually might be true. I had so much that I wanted to say, so much I_ didn't _want to say_, _but now was not the time nor place to discuss it. That conversation could wait.

I walked away from him and to the edge of the cave entrance.

"Ready?" I asked him.

It was time to get back to the flock.


	3. The Boat

**This is in the 4****th**** book when Max got frustrated about Fang and Brigid and 'got some air'.**

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

I had just started down the narrow, steeply pitched steps when I realized Fang was waiting for me at the bottom. I gasped and immediately turned around to go back on the deck, but I misjudged the length of the stairs and fell on my knees. So I crawled up the stairs instead, desperate to get out of there.

"Max! Oh, no you don't."

He grabbed me around the waste and carried me down the stairs, while I was kicking and screaming in the process.

"LET GO OF ME!"

He put me down, but blocked my only exit.

"What's the matter with you?" he asked. "Why'd you take off like that?"

Oh, like I would tell _him._

"Wanted some air," I said.

"Seriously, Max. What's up?"

"Why?"

"Are you okay? Is it the Voice?"

"Yes. It absolutely is the Voice. Okay? Satisfied? Goodnight, Fang."

I made a dismissive hand motion, but he ignored it.

"What's the deal, Max?"

I shrugged.

"Is there a reason you had a sudden urge to get some air?"

"It was way too crowded. I wasn't feeling so good," I glared at him.

It looked like he was about to give up, but then Brigid was at the top of the stairs and said, "You guys okay? Anything I can do?"

"No thank you, Brigid. We are about to go to sleep", Fang said, a little too friendly, if you ask me. Then, to top it all off, he smiled a very charming smile at her.

OH COME ON!!!!! My jaw locked and I tensed all over. Fang obviously noticed my reaction because his eyebrows pulled together and then it looked like he was trying to hold back a laugh.

Oh, goodie.

After Brigid left, he whispered, "Jealous".

"Am not!"

"Oh, please. Look at yourself!"

Then he started to laugh.

I knew he would laugh at me. That jerk.

So I pushed him as hard as I could and ran out of there.

Just as I was about to slam the door to the bedroom Angel, Nudge, and I were sharing, I heard him yell "WAIT! Max, I'm sorry!"

I hesitated, but then I heard him let out a chuckle, so I slammed the door instead.

I could not believe him! Did he honestly think I was jealous?

Wait…Was I?


End file.
